Heat stable polycarbonates containing metal salts of oxyacids of phosphorus



United States Patent O M This invention relates to heat-stable polycarbonate resin compositions, and more particularly, it relates to a process for the stabilization of bisphenol polycarbonate resins against the decompositional effects of heat.

Bisphenol polycarbonates are generally prepared by reaction of phosgene with a bisphenol according to the scheme,

3 ,Zd l ,369 Patented Aug. 17, 1965 with the alkali metal cations because of its similarity in chemical properties.

Among the Group VIII metals of the periodic table, both the ferric and cobaltous salts of the phosphorus oxyacids are generally injurious at high temperatures to the bisphenol polycarbonates.

A variety of procedures may be used whereby the salts of the phosphorus oxyacids are incorporated with bisphenol polycarbonate resins. One procedure comprises admixing a solution of said polycarbonate resin with an equal volume of a buffered solution of an inorganic, phosphorus compound, evaporating the mixed solutions to dryness, and recovering the dried, salt-impregnated resin.

These impregnated resins can also be prepared by mixing a finely divided, phosphate salt with a fluid, polycarbonate resin. This mechanical combination can be Polycarbonate resins have found extensive commercial application because of their excellent physical properties. These thermoplastic polymers appear to be particularly suitable for the manufacture of molded products wherein impact strength, rigidity, toughness, and excellent electrical properties are required. Unfortunately, polycarbonate compositions tend to discolor and depolymerize when they are heated to the high temperatures necessary for molding and extrusion operations. For example, the white resin, Lexan, which is obtained by the polymerization of bisphenol-A, is rapidly degraded at about 300 C. to a dark mixture of low molecular weight polymers.

It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to prepare bisphenol polycarbonate resin compositions which exhibit stability against the decompositional effects of heat. I

We have made the surprising discovery that polycarbonate resins of bisphenols can be stabilized against heat at temperatures as high as 325 C. by impregnating said resins with inorganic phosphorus compounds.

Inorganic phosphorus compounds which are suitable as heat-stabilizing agents can be designated by the general formula MA wherein M is magnesium, manganese, an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal, A is the anion of an oxyacid of phosphorous, including orthophosphoric,

metaphosphoric, pyrophosphoric, hypophosphoric, hypo- 5O phosphorous, and phosphorous acids. Not all the metal salts of the phosphorus oxyacids are of equal stabilizing ability. The alkali metal salts, such as sodium, potassium, and lithium are better stabilizers than hose salts o 7' derived lrom manganese, magneslum, and such alkal ne achieved either by using a mill and grinding together the phosphorus compounds with the fluid resin, or admixing a powdered form of the resin with the solid phosphorus salts, heating the mixture, and then passing said mixture through an extruder.

In that procedure wherein solutions of the resin and the stabilizer are combined, the pH to which the phosphorus oxyacid salt solution is adjusted is extremely important. Inorganic phosphorus compounds which are excellent stabilizers at one pH, may be extremely poor stabilizers at another. Thus, treatment of bisphenol polycarbonates with buffered phosphate solutions whose acidity has been adjusted to the extremes of the pH range, produces polymeric compositions which readily decompose on heating to high temperatures. The utilization of buffered solutions in the pH range from about 2 to about 10 aiiords bisphenol polycarbonate resins of good stability to heat. Excellent results are obtained in the especially preferred pH range of 3 to 7.

Those metal salts of the phosphorus oxyacids, such as barium phosphate (Ba (PO whose hydrolysis products create a solution with a pH within the preferred range of 3-7, naturally need not be buffered.

The above-described pl-l requirement is likewise necessary for those procedures wherein the stabilizer and the resin are mechanically mixed, e.g., by extruding or milling. In these instances, the powdered, phosphorus oxyacid salt may be prepared by evaporating to dryness a buffered solution (pH 210).of said salt, or by adding When necessary to the dried inorganic phosphorus compound, a sufiicient quantity of an alkali, so that the resulting mixture would possess a pH in the range of about 2-10, should said mixture of salts be taken up in aqueous solution.

' The quantity of phosphorus oxyacid salt which is especially etfective as a stabilizer for bi'sphenol polycarbonates ranges from about 0.65 to about 10 percent of the This is particularly surweight of the resin. However, percentages of phosphorus compound as low as 0.01%, and as high as 15% are applicable.

Polycarbonate resins for which the above-described phosphorus salts are effective as heat stabilizers, may be prepared from a large variety of bisphenols. Thus, polycarbonate resins prepared from an aromatic dicarbinol to such as bisphenol-A, i.e., 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane can be stabilized againnst the decompositional effects of heat when impregnated with the salts of the phosphorus oxyacids of our invention.

Additional representative examples of bisphenols whose polycarbonate derivatives can be stabilized against heat are the following:

CH3 CH3 3 HO@ t OH The following specific examples will further illustrate the invention. Percentages are by weight, and temperatures are in degrees centigrade.

EXAMPLE 1 Table I Stabilizer: Color None Brown. NaI-I PO Na P O Yellow. Na HPO White.

EXAMPLE 2 Solutions of sodium hydroxide and phosphoric acid were mixed in various proportions to produce a range of buffered pI-I systems. Solutions of these sodium phosphates containing 0.01 gram of the sodium phosphate in 10 ml. of water were mixed with solutions of bisphenol-A polycarbonate containing 1.0 gram of the polycarbonate in 10 ml. of methylene dichloride. The mixed solutions were evaporated to dryness, and the polycarbonate residue containing 1 percent of the several sodium phosphates was heated for 2 hours at 325 in test tubes open to the air. It was then cooled to room temperature. The color of the resin samples was compared visually. The aged resins were dissolved in ethylene dichloride to form 0.1 percent solutions, and the viscosities of these dilute solutions were than measured at 25 in Ostwald- Fenske viscometers.

Molecular weights were then calculated using the following equations:

In these equations t and t are the efiluent times of the solutions of the polycarbonate and of the solvent, respectively, c is the concentration of the polycarbonates in the solution in grams/ cm. of solvent, 1 is the reduced viscosity, and MW is the molecular weight of the polycarbonate. Plotting the values f-or MW (as ordinates) at various values for intrinsic viscosity, 7;; (as abscissas), on common log-log graph paper gives a straight line, which is used to read directly the molecular weight.

The results are illustrated in Table III. In each case the molecular Weight of the resin was initially 28,000.

Example 2 was repeated using potassium hydroxide in place of sodium hydroxide. Once again, the initial molecular weight of the polycarbonate resin was 28,000 in all cases. The results are illustrated in Table III.

Table III Color Molecular weight;

Very light am 6 Light amber EXAMPLE 4 Example 1 was repeated using a number of different phosphates as stabilizers. The initial molecular weight of the polycarbonate resin was once again 28,000 in every case. The results are illustrated in Table IV.

Table IV Phosphate Color Molecular Weight N one. Brown 9, 000 Lithium Light ambcr 22, 000 Magnesium d0 19, 000 d0 20,000 Dark brown. 4,000 Light amber 2, 500 Dark brown Light, amber 17, 000 (lo 13,000 Cobaltous Dark brown 10,000

Manganoso phosphate was bufiored by titrating it with plosphoric acid to pH 5.

2 Unbuficred manganese phosphate.

EXAMPLE 5 wherein the stabilizer is a sodium salt of an oxyacid of Solutions of sodium hydroxide and phosphoric acid p p were mixed to give a solution having a pH of 3. Portions 3. A composition of matter as described in claim 1, of the solution thus prepared were mixed with solutions wherein the bisphenol polycarbonate resin is a 2,2-bis(4- of methylene dichloride of a bisphenol-A polycarbonate 5 h d xyphenyl) propane-polycarbonate resin. having 111016611121 Weight of 23,000 in Proportions 4. The process for stabilizing a bisphenol polycarbonprovide in the mixed solutions the percentages of sodium ate resin of the formula phosphate by weight of the polycarbonate shown in the following Table V. t The mixed solutions were evaporated to dryness, and the polycarbonates containing varying wherein R is a member selected from the group consisting proportions of sodium phosphate were heated for 2 hours of branched and unbranched hydrocarbon radicals and at 325 and then cooled to room temperature. Table V halohydrocarbon radicals, and n is an integer from 40 shows the molecular weights of the thus heated polycarto 400, against the degradative er'fects of heat, which combonates containing varying percentages of sodium phosprises admixing with a solution of said resin a suificient quantity of an aqueous solution, in the pH range of 2 to 10, of a stabilizer of the formula phate stabilizer as compared with the molecular weight of the polycarbonate subjected to the same heat treatment, but with no addition of sodium phosphate.

Table V MA Percent sodium phosphate: Molecular Weight 0.00 9,800 h b 1 Q05 27 000 w ereln M 1s a mem et se ected from the group consist- 050 24500 mg of magnesium, manganese, the alkali metals and the 5'00 195O0 alkaline earth metals, and A is an anion of a phosphorus 10 00 23:00O OXYaCld, t0 PI'OVlde betWeen about 0.01% and about 15% by weight of salt in the dried resin, evaporating the solvents of the mixed solutions and recovering the dried salt-impregnated resin.

While the above describes the preferred embodiments 30 of the invention, it will be understood that departures can be made th refrom within the sec e of the s ecification and claims. p p 5. The process according to claim 4, wherein the his- We claim: phenol of the polycarbonate resin is 2,2-bis(4-hydroxy- 1. A bisphenol polycarbonate resin composition com- P yD'P P prising (a) a polycarbonate resin of the formula wherein R is a member selected from the group consisting I References sited by the Examiner of branched and unbranched hydrocarbon and halogen- UNITED STATES PATENTS ated hydrocarbon radicals, and n is an integer from 40 to 400 and (b) between ab0u t 0 .01% and about 15% 3%? i tflgergeuofaby weight of a heat stabilizing agent of the general 2,964,797 12/60 peflstocker et a1 M 26047 2,967,774 l/6l Bell et a1. 260-45.95 MA 2,984,647 5/61 White 26045.75 3,079,366 2/63 Boyle et a1. 26045.9 wherein M represents a member selected from the group 3,108,091 10/63 1m et 1 5 5 5 consisting of magnesium, manganese, the alkali and the alkaline earth metals; and A represents an inorganic anion FOREIGN PATENTS of an oxyacid of phosphorus, said stabilizing agent hav- 772,627 4/ y- 18 so u Ion a p Va ue e ween a out LEON I. BERCOVITZ, Primary Examiner. 2. A composition of matter as described in claim 1, MILTON STERMAN, Examiner. 

1. A BISPHENOL POLYCARGONATE RESIN COMPOSITION COMPRISING (A) A POLYCARBONATE RESIN OF THE FORMULA 